Husni Mubarok, Gwo-Jen Hwang, Chi-Jen Lin
Spirituality and art have been recognized by educators as crucial factors affecting students’ learning outcomes. By taking these two factors into account, this study proposed the project-based STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) approach to improving students’ learning achievement, 21st-century competencies, computational thinking, and project outcomes in a science course in response to several challenges encountered by conventional STEM education in addressing global issues. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 79 participants distributed across three groups: a project-based STEM approach, a project-based STEAM approach, and a project-based STREAM approach. The experimental results showed that students who learned with the STREAM and STEAM approaches performed significantly better on learning achievement, complex problem-solving, creativity, and project quality than those who learned with the STEM approach. Students who learned with the STREAM approach had higher meta-cognition and communication than those who learned with the STEAM and STEM approaches. However, there was no significant difference between students who learned with the STREAM, STEAM, and STEM approaches in the collaboration aspect. Students who learned with the STREAM and STEM approaches had significantly better computational thinking than those who learned with the STEAM approach. Additionally, the integration of the religious aspect cultivated a heightened sense of care for their peers and the environment, as well as respect for differing opinions. The findings could be a valuable reference and provide recommendations for teachers, instructors, and researchers to develop the STREAM curriculum. © Association for Educational Communications and Technology 2025.
Graduate Institute of Digital Learning and Education, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan; Educational Technology Study Program, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya City, Indonesia; Graduate Institute of Educational Information and Measurement, National Taichung University of Education, Taichung City, Taiwan; Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
